bdwaed steoud



(No Modelu.)

E. STRUD.

y KEY BOARD FOB. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

' Patented Oct. 26, 1886.

@Qur/u Mr/6 UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

. EDWARD sTRoUD, or NEW YORK, n. Y.

KEY-BOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,477, dated October26, 1886.

Application filed August 3. 1886. ySyderial No. 209,842. (No model.) i

To all whom, it may concern):

Be it known that I, EDWARD S'rRoUD, of the city and county of New York,in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inPianos and other Musical Instruments, of which the followingisaspecitication.

My invention is more particularly intended for pianos, although it maybe embodied in other musical instruments. The keys of a pianoforte areusually supported by a keyframe, which in turn is secured to a thickplank of wood, called a key-bottom. In pianos as usually constructed theback ends ofthekeys are supported directly upon the keyframe orkeybotto1n, and by extreme dampness or extreme dryness of the atmospherethe wood of the key-bottom and keys is caused to'swell or shrink, andthereby produce what is commonly called long and short jacks, and alsochanges the depth of touch or the range of vertical movement of the keysat their front ends. To correct this difliculty in a measure, the keyshave been provided at their back ends with screws inserted in theirupper surfaces, and through which they operate upon the action butalthough the adjustment of these screws will correct what is technicallyknown as long or short jacks it will not have any effect in changing orvarying the ydepth of touch, and hence will not correct the changes inthe depth of touch, which are produced by the swelling and shrinking ofthe keys and the key-bottom.

The object of my invention is, rst, to reduce to a minimum the changeswhich would he produced by the swelling or shrinking of the wood in akeywbottom and keys, and, secondly, to provide an adjustable key-restfor the backend of the keys, which is so constructed and arranged thatit may be adjusted vertically relatively to the key-bottom, and will byits adj ustmeut prevent long and short jacks, and also maintain auniform depth of touch. I-Ieretofore the swelling or shrinking of thefull depth or thickness of wood both in the key-bottoms and keys haveresulted in maximum changes in the vertical position of the keys; and inorder to reduce such changes to a minimum I reduce as much as ispossible the depth or thicknessof wood both in theback ends of the keysandin a portion of the key-hottom from which the adjustable key-restissupport ed, as will be understood from the description hereinaftercontained.

kThe invention consists 1n novel features of construction andcombinations of parts, which are hereinafter described, and pointed outin4 the claims.

In the accompanying` drawings, Figure I represents a transverse sectionof a piano-acn tion, and au end elevation, partly in transverse section,of a key-bottom with keys supported thereon. Fig. 2 represents a rearelevation of a key-bottom and a key-rest with -keys supported thereon, aportion of the parts between the ends being removed to reduce the lengthof the figure; and Fig. 3 represents a rear elevation of one end portionof a key-bottom and key-rest with keys supported there` on, illustratinga slight modification of my invention.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in theseveral figures.

My invention does not in any way relate to the action, and it willtherefore be necessary to but brieliy refer to its principal parts.

A designates the hammer; B, the hammerrest rail; C, the jack; and D, thelever provided with a flange, d, to which the jack is pivoted, and whichitself is secured hy a ange, d', to the action-rail E.

F designates the keys, which at their rear end are provided with screwsj', secured in their upper surfaces and forming adjustable projections,which act upon the levers D to lift the jacks G.

G designates the key-lrame, on which the keys are pivotally supported atf', and H designates the key-bottom, which may loe made of a thickp lankof wood, as is usual. Instead of supporting the rear end or the keysupon the key-frame or key-bottoni, as is usually done, and which resultsin the keys being raised or lowered, as the wood in them and in thekey-bottom shrinks or swells, Isupport the rear ends of the keys upon abar, l, extending `parallel with and at the rear of the key-lootA tom H,and which is faced with felt i, and is preferably vertically adjustable,as I shall IOO hereinafter describe, relatively to the key-bottom. Thisbar I constitutes a key-rest, whereby the back ends of the keys aresupported, and whereby the downward movement of the keys at the back endis limited.

I have here represented the key-bottom II as rabbeted at the rear edgeand from its upper surface downward, as represented at 71 so as to forma rearwardly-extending lip or flange, 71', at the bottom of thekey-bottom, and by means ofthe rabbet l1 this lip or flange is in thisexample of my invention formed integral with the key-bottom. I have alsorepresented the rear ends of thekeys as rabbeted at ft from the undersidcupward, so as to form rearward projections, f 3, from the upperportions of the keys, and through these rearward projections f3 the keysare supported by the key-rest I.

I have in Figs. l and 2 represented the keyrest bar or rail I as held invertical position by posts I', the upper ends of which are screwed intothe bar I and the lower ends of which are screw-threaded and passedthrough the lip or llange h. The lower ends of these screwthreaded postsI may be nicked or notched, so as to receive a screw-driver, as shown inthe drawings, and nuts I may be applied to them above and below the lipor fiange, so as to hold them securely in place after they have beenadjusted or turned by t-he screw-driver applied to their lower ends. Ihave here represented the posts I as provided with reversescrew-threads, right and left, at their opposite ends, so that a givendegree of turning` of a post will produce twice the vertical adjustmentof the bar I that would be securedif the post were screw-threaded onlyin one part, I or h', and had a swivel-connection with the other part.Vhenever it is found that the keys are deranged by the swelling orshrinking of the small thickness of wood in the lip or ange h andrearward projection, f 3, from the key, it is only necessary to slightlyturn t-he screw-threaded posts I in order to raise or lower the key-rest bar I to the proper' degree, and by such adjustment long andshort jacks will be prevented, and the uniformity in thc depth of touch,which is so desirable, will be preserved.

It will be understood that the advantages of my invention may be securedin a degree by supporting the rest-bar I from a thin lip or flange ofwood or niet-al extending rearward from the key-bottom H, or bysupporting the keys on the bar I, through rearward projections eitherofwood or metal from their upper portions, or by both these features ofconstruction and without any provision for the vertical adjustment ofthe bar I; but in order to secure the advantages of my invention to thefullest extent I provide additionally for the adjustment of the bar Irelatively to the .flange or lip h', from which it is supported.

In thel example of my invention shown in ig. 3 I have represented thekeyrest bar I as supported from the lip or ange 7L of the key-bottom 7Lby means of springs j, and I have also represented ordinary wood-screwsj', which are inserted loosely through and are capable of turning in thelip or flange h', and which screw into the bar I. \Vhen the screws j areturned in one direction, the bar I will be lowered or drawn downwardagainst the force of the springs j, and when said screws are turned inthe other direction the bar I will be relieved and will be raisedproportionate to the extent to which the screws are turned by the actionof the spring' 7. j

It will be seen that by the vertical adjustment of the bar I, I providenot only for raising or lowering the keys to bring them into properrelation to the levers D on which they operate, but I also provide formaintaining a uniform depth of touch, which is, as well known, verydesirable. rlhe screwsf may be employed, as heretofore, to bring thebearingpoints of the individual keys in proper relation to the levers D,on which they operate.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. The combination, with the keys, keyframe, and key-bottom of a musicalinstrument, of a vertically-adjustable key-rest arranged beneath thekeys at their back ends, and which limits the downward movement of thekeys at the back ends, substantially as herein described.

2. rI`he combination, with the keys of a musical instrument and akey-bottom having at the back a iiange or lip projecting from its lowerportion, of a key-rest supported from said ilange or lip, substantiallyas herein described.

3. The combination, with the keys of a musical instrument and akey-bottom rabbeted at the back and upon its top, so as to form anintegral liange projecting from its lower portion, of a key-rest for theback ends of the keys supported from said flange, substantially asherein described.

4. The combination, with the key-bottom of a musical instrument, of keyshaving at their rear ends projections from their upper portions, and akey-rest on which the rear ends of the keys are supported through saidprojections, substantially as herein described.

IOO

5. rIhe combination, with the key-bottom of a musical instrument, ofkeys rabbeted from the under side at their rear ends, so as to formintegral rearward projections from the upper portions of the keys, and akey-rest on which the rear ends of the keys are supported through saidprojections, substantial] y as herein described.

6. rlhe combination, with the keys and keybottom of a musicalinstrument, of a key-rest and supports whereby the key-rest is supportedfrom and capable of vertical adjustment relatively to the key-bottom,substantially as herein described. l

7. The combination, with the keys and keybottom of a musical instrument,of a key-rest and sorew-threaded posts supporting the keyor fiange fromvits lower portion, a key-rest, rest from the key-bottom and adjustableto, and screws whereby the key-rest is adjustably 1o vary the height ofthe rest, substantially as supported from said lip or ange,substanherein described'. tiaiiy as herein described. 5 8. Thecombination, with the keys rabheted EDWARD STROUD.

at the rear end to forni rearward projections Witnesses: from theirupper portions, of a key-bottom G. HALL, rabbeted at the back to form aprojecting lip FREDK. HAYNEs.

